Modular sump pump pit assembly

ABSTRACT

The disclosed sump pump pit is modular, being formed from substantial planar lightweight top, bottom and side walls that when disassembled can be carried compactly stacked on one another to an intended sump hole, and can then be assembled and secured together as the rigid pit defining an enclosure sized to hold at least one sump pump (preferably two sump pumps side-by-side). Cooperating tongue and groove configurations on the side wall edges interlock these components in a tubular configuration, and the end edges of the side walls can be fitted into and secured in channels in the top and bottom walls, making the pit rigid. The pit walls are perforated for communicating the sump hole with the pit enclosure. Piping extended through the top wall allows water to be pumped from the sump hole via the pit pump(s).

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to a Provisional Application from the same inventors, filed on Feb. 22, 2008 and possibly having App. No. 61/011,831 (filing receipt No. 6756 received by attorney having this number, except identifying a different invention which corresponds to a second Patent Application concurrently filed by the same attorney, in fact in the same envelope. This attorney to date has received no filing receipt for this second Application invention, although the USPTO has collected the $105 and $515 filing fees for these Applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Buildings typically have a perimeter footing buried in the ground below the frost line, with an upstanding perimeter foundation supported thereon to rise above the ground. Building side walls are supported on the foundation (or footing) above the ground level. A building floor (basement, crawl space or first floor) typically is defined inside of the foundation perimeter, frequently comprised as dirt, stones, cement or the like. As water can exist in the ground at the building floor, a sump well frequently is extended in a hole to below the building floor to collect this water, and a pump in the sump well operates to discharge the collected water to a sewer drain or to outside of the building for remote field drainage.

A conventional sump well is defined within and by a structural pit embodied in the earth and extended to a depth of possibly several feet below the floor, where small openings in the pit bottom and/or side walls allow ground water seepage into the well. A sump pump in the well can be connected by appropriate piping to a sewer and/or outside drainage location, and be operated by an automatic float system to discharge the collected water before overfilling the well.

Further, many systems now utilize two independent pumps housed in the same sump well, one pump being powered by the electrical utility of the building and the other pump be powered by storage batteries for providing independent backup should electrical utility service be interrupted.

A typical perimeter sump pit has had cylindrical wall structure approximately 16-20 inches ID and 18-26 inches deep, and formed of cement, steel or durable plastic as a rigid unitary piece, with its top approximately even with the bottom floor top surface.

However, adding a sump pump system to an existing building has been significantly more difficult, such as where the sump hole might have to be dug in tight quarters of a crawl space. Specifically, many crawl spaces have only limited height clearance between the floor and overlying joists and have a limited size access opening through which a one-piece sump pit, possibly 20 inches OD and 26 inches long, must be passed and manipulated into the prepared hole.

OBJECTS AND FEATURES OF THE INVENTION

A general object of this invention includes providing a sump pump pit structure comprised of multiple components that can be shipped disassembled and nested together, compactly and economically, to an end user, whereupon the user can then easily carry these components to proximity of the ultimate use site and assemble them into a sturdy unitary sump pit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sump pump pit structure having a generally rectangular cross section, suited to hold two side-by-side sump pumps, possible including respectively an AC powered primary pump and a DC battery powered backup pump.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sump well pit housing having a bolt down top closure, suited for giving access to the pumps housed therein while offering added safety against anyone falling into the pit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive sump pump pit utilizes a multiple component construction, comprised as two pairs of separate respectively similar side walls, and two generally similar top and bottom walls. These wall components can be shipped separate, compactly stacked flat on one another, easily carried to the ultimate use site, and assembled into a sturdy sump well pit structure. For added durability, PVC adhesive can be used at the slip connections between the components for permanently and rigidly holding them as assembled

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This and other objects, features or advantages of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated after considering the following description of the invention, which includes the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inventive sump pit, free standing and not yet positioned in a sump hole;

FIG. 2 is a broken way perspective view of the inventive sump pit, operatively positioned in a sump hole;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of components forming the inventive sump pit;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of side wall components of the inventive sump pit, shown connected together; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded pre-assembled perspective view of components forming the inventive sump pit end closure assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an improved sump pump pit 10 of generally rectangular cross section, suited to hold side-by-side two sump pumps, such as but not limited to the combination of a conventional AC electric utility powered pump “A” and a DC storage battery powered backup pump “B”.

The inventive sump pump pit 10 utilizes a multiple component construction, comprised of two pairs 12, 13 and 14, 15 of similar rectangular side walls, and two generally similar rectangular top and bottom walls 16, 17, to define a pit enclosure 19. The pit side walls 12, 13, 14 and 15 can have many small openings 18 therein suited to allow water to pass inwardly to the pit enclosure 19. A porous fiber mesh wrap 20, such as of a geotextile material, can if desired overlie the side walls to filter stones or like solid debris from passing into the pit enclosure, which could damage the pump if pumped through it.

The two independent pumps “A” and “B” can be housed in the sump pit enclosure 19, resting on the bottom wall 17. By way of example, pump “A” can be AC powered by the electrical utility, and the “B” can DC powered by storage batteries as backup against interrupted power delivery from the utility. Each on-off pump operation will be activated by a conventional float or pressure sensing control (neither shown) responsive to the liquid level in the sump pit.

Outlet pipes 24, 25 connected to respective outlets of the pumps “A”, “B” extend through openings 23 in the top wall 16. Annular rubber seals 26 fitted snuggly between the pipes and top wall minimize vibration noise and seal out solid debris from entering the housing interior. Check valves 28, 29 in the outlet pipes 24, 25 restrict back flow of pumped water back into the housing enclosure when pump operation is stopped.

The sump pit 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 is in a typical application where the sump pit 10 has been embedded in a sump hole provided in the ground 30 under a building floor 31, and the ground has then been back-filed into the hole and against the sump pit and the floor has been patched up to the sump pit 10. In a preferred embodiment, the pit top wall 16 will be substantially aligned with the adjacent floor. Two other top wall openings 23 are shown, but an actual installation would probably eliminate or plug such openings.

Although not shown, it will be appreciated that the pumped water from either or both pump will be directed by piping or hose runs (not shown) to a drain sewer or remotely of the sump pit for field drainage.

The major pit components can be formed of durable plastic, in strong but lightweight configurations, and further can be easily assembled together and firmly held as assembled.

More specifically, each side wall 12, 13, 14 and 15, and the panel parts 32, 33 of the top and bottom walls 16 and 17 might be extruded, consisting of closely spaced parallel generally planar outer main panels 34, 35 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) held closely spaced apart but separated from one another by generally parallel cross webs 38 extended between these panels. Side walls 12 and 13 can be identical, as can side walls 14 and 15. Likewise, top and bottom wall panel parts 32, 33 can be identical structurally, differing only because of the pipe openings 23 later formed in the top wall panel 32.

Moreover, tongue and groove formations 40, 41 are formed at the opposite side edges of each side wall 12, 13, 14 and 15, being angled 90 degrees from one another. This provides that the adjacent side walls (13, 14 for example in FIG. 4) can be interlocked generally perpendicular to one another starting with the walls axially offset (see FIG. 3) and the respective tongue of one wall being aligned end-to-end with the groove of the adjacent wall, and then shifting the panels axially (from FIG. 3 positions) to slide the tongue and groove configurations together.

FIG. 4 illustrates the tongue 40 off wall 13 fitted into the groove 41 in wall 14 to interlock these walls 14. The four adjacent side walls 12, 14, 13 and 15 can be interconnected in like manner, and when interconnected, will define the rectangular tubular pit shape of FIG. 1.

The top and bottom end closures 16 and 17 are each formed from an annular rim 46 and the noted panel parts 32, 33. Specifically, the annular rim 46 has an annular ledge surface 48 against which the panel part 32, 33 is secured. Moreover, the outer edge of the ledge 48 terminates at the inner wall 50 of a U-shaped inner-outer wall band that defines channel 52 opening in the direction opposite to the ledge supporting surface 48. The channel 52 has a width corresponding generally to the thickness of the side walls 12, 14, 13 and 15, suited to receive them snuggly for connecting the rim to the side walls.

More typically, even during field assembly, a PVC adhesive might be applied to the mated surfaces between all of the parts to be connected, making the assembled sump pit extremely rigid and strong. This might include the tongue and groove connections between the side walls, the rim-side walls connections of both the top and bottom rims, and the rim-panel part 33 connection of the bottom wall. However, the top panel 32 can be removably held in place by bolts 55 threaded into a tap 56 in the annular frame (see FIG. 5), and removal can provide access to the pit interior if needed for repairs or the like.

The annular rims can be identical structurally, as could the cross walls 32, 33, except for opening(s) 23 for the outlet pipe(s) 24, 25.

By way of example, a housing proportioned to be 13″ wide by 21″ long by 22″ high has been found acceptable for holding side by side two pumps of different typical size and output combinations, while yet providing adequate clearance between the components for yielding effective water pumping and for possible adjustment, repair or replacement of the different components. Moreover, this pit size defines an internal area sufficiently large for storing and discharging significant volumes of water each operating cycle.

Of great importance, the hollowed plastic wall/panel components can be shipped compactly stacked generally flat on one another, and can be easily carried to the ultimate use site proximate the sump hole. The spaced plastic walls 34, 35 reduce the component weight, while provide extreme strength and sturdiness as would be needed in a sump pit structure. Moreover, the lightweight components reduce shipping costs between the manufacturer and retailer. For ease of use, the side wall edges can be easily and quickly assembled at the sump hole. The bolted down top closure offers added safety against anyone falling into the pit interior. 

1. A sump pump pit suited for installation in a sump hole for holding one or more sump pumps, comprising a pit having a plurality of substantial planar side walls, means to connect side edges of the walls together for defining a tubular body having open ends, top and bottom closure panels cooperating with respective ends of the side walls for defining an enclosure, and said side walls having small openings communicating between the sump hole and enclosure; whereby said sump pumps can be mounted in the enclosure, with piping passed through an opening in the top closure panel for connecting the pump outlet to outside the enclosure, operable to discharge water pumped from the enclosure to the outside.
 2. A sump pump pit combination according to claim 1, further wherein said side walls comprise opposed pairs of similar sizes suited when connected side edge to side edge for defining a rectangular tubular body.
 3. A sump pump pit combination according to claim 1, further comprising said means connecting the walls side edge to side edge being in the form of tongue and groove configurations on each wall suited to respectively cooperate with and interlock the adjacent side walls.
 4. A sump pump pit combination according to claim 3, further comprising said connecting tongue and groove configurations on each wall being angled 90 degrees from one another.
 5. A sump pump pit combination according to claim 4, further wherein said side walls comprise opposed pairs of similar sizes suited when connected side edge to side edge for defining a rectangular tubular body.
 6. A sump pump pit combination according to claim 5, further comprising a porous mesh covering the pit side wall openings for minimizing passage of rigid components in the sump hole into the pit enclosure. 